Tag Archives: Wine tasting descriptors

Angel Hair Pasta with Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes, Lemon & Tuna
by Martha Holmberg
This dish is built around the season’s luscious offerings yet designed for speed. The sauce only looks like you slaved over it, and its strong flavors are perfectly in balance. Serves three to four.
Kosher salt
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (about 1-1/2 lb.; a mix of colors, if possible)
1 large clove garlic, minced
One 6-oz. can light tuna in oil, drained and separated into chunks
2 Tbs. minced jarred pepperoncini (about 4 medium peppers, stemmed and seeded)
1 Tbs. lightly chopped capers
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cold unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. packed, finely grated lemon zest
8 oz. dried angel hair pasta
3 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
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Tip: For a real treat, try making this quick summer pasta with one of the imported Spanish tunas (Ortiz brand, in particular), which are fairly expensive but very delicious.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, in an 11- to 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the tomatoes (be careful because the oil and juice can spatter) and cook until they begin to collapse and their juices run and start to thicken, 6 to 10 min. (If you have big, stubborn tomatoes, you may need to crush them a bit with a spatula or pierce them with a knife.) Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tuna, pepperoncini, capers, lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest. Season the sauce to taste with salt and keep it warm while you cook the pasta.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions. Drain well, arrange in individual pasta bowls, and top with the sauce and the parsley.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with Simply Delicious Green Beans.

AMANDA & MERRILL’S TESTING NOTES:

The title pretty much says it all. With her recipe, kaykay takes an already promising set of ingredients and artfully combines them in such a way that the resulting dish exceeds the sum of its parts. 2-inch lengths of asparagus, crisp-tender to the bite, take center stage in a savory tangle of leeks, pancetta, garlic, orange zest, parsley and pine nuts. The rendered fat from the pancetta, along with a knob of butter, is just enough to keep the vegetables from being dry without smothering the fresh flavors. The recipe is supposed to serve 4, but we could easily imagine polishing off an entire pan by ourselves. – A&M

I guess there’s a reason Vosges Haut-chocolat Bacon and Chocolate bars are growing in popularity…it just seems that when you add bacon to almost anything, the salty smokiness heightens the other ingredients. Bacon may rule, but its Italian cousin, Pancetta, is also a contender for the crown. Take a garden fresh ingredient like asparagus and pair it with pancetta and you instantly get Snap, Crackle, Crisp all in one bite. There’s something about the bite-size pieces of tender crisp asparagus, buttery leeks, crackly pancetta, and delicately crunchy pinenuts that make it somehow hard for me to stop eating this easy to prepare dish. I tried adding Parmigiano Reggiano at the end, but it overpowered the citrus. After testing the delectable sugar cookie finalist recipes with MonkeyMom tonight, I have to wonder if the number 52 will be even more symbolic when it represents the number of pounds we’ve gained by the end of the year. Apparently, Asparagus isn’t the only thing I’m addicted to— Food52 is rapidly becoming a habit, too. (Sorry for the lack of a photo— the camera is out of commission this week…)

In a large non-stick pan, sauté pancetta, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until crisp and lightly golden.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Add asparagus pieces and leek and sauté until asparagus is tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic, lemon and orange zest, toasted pine nuts and parsley and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt and serve immediately. Ask a question about this step.

Working quickly, shape the dough into an 8-inch log and divide it into eight equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll a piece of dough into a 5-inch round. Gently press the dough into a tart pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the tarts on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 15 min. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.

Cut out eight roughly 6-inch-square pieces of foil and spray one side lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Line each tart with a square of foil, oiled side down, being sure to gently fold the foil over the top edge of the tart. Place a handful of pie weights, raw rice, or dried beans into each lined tart. Transfer the tarts (still on the baking sheet) to the oven and bake until the crust turns golden brown and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans, 25 to 30 min. (Check the color by carefully lifting up the foil on a few of the tarts.) Let the tarts cool on the baking sheet on a rack for 5 min. Carefully remove the lining and weights. Let cool completely on the baking sheet on the rack.

In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the lemon curd and gently fold together with a rubber spatula until combined. Divide the mixture among the pastry shells and smooth the filling with a spatula or the back of a spoon. The filling should be no higher than the edge of the tart shell. Carefully remove the outer rings and bottoms of the tart shells (use a metal spatula for the bottoms) and arrange the tarts on a large platter. Top each tart with a mixture of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and serve immediately.

make ahead tips

You can combine the lemon curd and whipped cream and hold the filling for about two hours in the fridge. The shells can be baked a day ahead (store the cooled shells in an airtight container); fill them shortly before serving. The baked shells also freeze well; thaw before filling.

The secret to a great-tasting, smooth and creamy risotto is patience. While it may take a little more time and attention to make this Italian favorite, it is definitely worth the wait. And once you see how versatile and easy it really is, and discover the countless dishes that can be made with a risotto base, you won’t mind it a bit.

Risotto is traditionally made with Arborio rice, which is usually grown in Italy. You could substitute another type of white rice, but you wouldn’t get the same texture. The stubby, milky grains of Arborio have a high starch content, which gives the risotto its rich creaminess.

You can use risotto as a side dish or main dish, but it basically starts out with the same simple recipe (serves 4 to 6):

In a large saucepan add butter and chopped onion and saute over medium heat until the onion turns soft and translucent. Add Arborio rice, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, or until opaque. Do not brown or burn the rice.

Add 1 cup of warm broth to the pan, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan so it doesn’t stick. Also scrape the sides to get all the uncooked rice mixed in. You want to see bubbles in the liquid to know it is absorbing, but if it is bubbling too much the rice may stick to the pan and burn. Turn down the heat slightly to simmer.

Once the broth is almost absorbed add in another cup. You need to pay attention and stir it often, but at this point you don’t need to stir it constantly. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Repeat these steps until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is creamy. It should take about 20-25 minutes.

Taste the rice to make sure it is done. It should be tender, but not mushy, almost like thick oatmeal. If it is still crunchy, add broth in 1/4 cup increments and cook until it reaches the desired doneness. If you run out of broth, use warm water.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

For a side dish, you can eat the risotto as is or stir in grated Parmesan cheese, sauted mushrooms, or a favorite vegetable such as chopped zucchini or spinach.For a main dish try:

Chicken and Broccoli Risotto

Add 1 or 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed, and 1 cup frozen broccoli florets along with the final cup of chicken broth. (May substitute cream of broccoli soup for the final cup of broth.) Allow broccoli and chicken to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Add grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.